I’m not saying you should go nuts and have three servings of turkey, four different types of potatoes and two slices of pie
with double the whipped cream. But I do think that you should definitely go ahead and eat a little of everything you like.

That said, as someone who has a master’s degree in nutrition with a focus in weight management, I know that, when it comes to
eating, you must keep the holiday behaviors to the actual holidays. It’s a slippery slope, my friends. In my book, the menu
on “Black Friday” does not look like the one on Thanksgiving Thursday (only made in the microwave instead). Let other people
eat the leftover mashed potatoes and gravy, the stuffing and the candied sweet potatoes, while you try my “1,500-Calorie
Day-After-Thanksgiving Detox Plan,” which I will share, happily, with you. (Photos: What does
a 1,500-calorie day look like?)

For breakfast, shoot for 300 to 350 calories.
For me, this means having a piece of leftover pumpkin pie and a cup of coffee with plenty of nonfat milk. (Why? Pumpkin pie
is one of my favorite treats and if I don’t have it for breakfast, I’m going to eat it later, adding an extra 300 calories to
my day.) Plus, pumpkin pie isn’t the worst thing in the world to eat: it has a little bit of fiber and more than 100% of your
recommended daily value for vitamin A. But if you think having another piece of pie will launch you into full-blown
holiday-eating mode, opt for something more ordinary, like an English muffin with some peanut butter and an orange or a bowl
of oatmeal with raisins. The key is to start your day feeling satisfied.Related: Find
more ideas for 300- to 350-calorie breakfasts.

At lunchtime, shoot for 325 to 400 calories.
Make yourself a big green salad and top it with leftover turkey and maybe even some green beans and whatever is remaining of
the veggie platter. Toss with a few tablespoons of a lower-calorie dressing and have a small whole-grain roll.Related: Yummy
400-calorie-or-less recipes to make at home.

Are you out battling the crowds at the mall? Treat yourself to a low-cal lunch at the food court. Here are some of the better
choices.

Now...even if you ate the highest-calorie options for each meal, that still leaves you with about 250 calories to spend on
snacks. Choose wisely: an ounce of almonds (170), an apple (about 100), some air-popped popcorn (100 calories for about 3
cups, no butter)—or if you’ve saved enough up and didn’t already eat it for breakfast, go ahead and have that slice of
pumpkin pie!